Abdulla Al Mandous

Abdulla Ahmed Al Mandous (Arabic: الدكتور عبد الله أحمد المندوس) is the current President of WMO Regional Association II (Asia). Al Mandous was elected as president unanimously during WMO conference held in Abu Dhabi in February 2017, and re-elected for a second term during the 17th Session of RA II (ASIA) convened virtually from 25 to 26 May, 2021. Al Mandous is also Executive Director of the National Center of Meteorology, the government entity that provides statistical data and information on weather and climate to various entities and the public in the United Arab Emirates to carry out their daily functions.

In July 2021, NCM launched under the direct supervision of Al Mandous the Science Dome, a high-tech 4D dome to visualise real-time and simulate weather data to help visitors understand the details of meteorology, geophysics and cloud seeding operations in an innovative way.

Furthermore, Al Mandous played an instrumental role in the development of National Integrated Observing System and Seismic Data & Information Network Center in the UAE. He supervised the development of the Integrated Radar Observing System at sub regional level contributing to disaster management, water security and International Civil Aviation Organization’s Global Air Navigation Plan 2013-2028. In doing so, Al Mandous led the efforts to unify the seismic engineering services and exchanging data related to earthquake and seismic activities at the regional and international levels

Al Mandous is also the current executive director of the National Center of Meteorology (NCM) and the Permanent Representative of the UAE to WMO since 2008. Under his leadership, NCM undertook a large-scale modernization of its infrastructure and enhancement of the UAE’s national meteorological and seismological networks. He also contributed to the development of Arabian Peninsula Integrated Radar Observing System and led NCM’s efforts to set up The UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science, which was launched under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs in 2015. The program aims to attract new researchers, technologists and entrepreneurs to further develop local and global capacity in rain enhancement to address the most pressing water-security challenges.

Al Mandous studied meteorology at the University of Saint Louis in USA and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1989. Later, he pursued post-graduate studies in meteorology at the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa and earned a Master of Science degree in 2005. He was awarded a PhD in Meteorology by The University of Belgrade, Serbia in 2012.